Assessment Results
Craugastor fecundus
Order:
Anura
Family:
Craugastoridae
Synonym(s):
Eleutherodactylus fecundus
Assessed for:
Honduras
on:
29 Apr 2019
by:
AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop
Authors:
Gustavo Cruz, Larry David Wilson.Kolby, J., Marcec, R., Mora, J., Solis, M., Townsend, J.
IUCN Global Red List:
Critically Endangered (CR)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
Honduras
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
20.00211102
Recommended Conservation Actions:
Additional Comments:
Any surviving individuals should be used to form the basis for the establishment of an ex situ population.
Improved enforcement and management of the national parks and the elimination of incentives to convert forest (e.g., Decreto 37-2016) is urgently needed to halt anthropogenic land use change in the national parks and reserves of Honduras (Honduras Red List Assessment Workshop March 2019). The option of a captive-breeding programme might also need to be explored for this species should a subpopulation be detected in the wild (Honduras Red List Assessment Workshop March 2019).
Surveys are required to determine whether this species still exists or not (J. Townsend pers. comm. March 2019).
Conservation actions needed: 2 Land/water management, 2.1 Site/area management, 3 Species management, 3.4 Ex-situ conservation, 3.4.1 Captive breeding/artificial propagation
| Question # | Short Name | Question Text | Response | Comments |
| 1 | Extinction risk | Current IUCN Red List category. [Data obtained from the IUCN Red List.] | Critically Endangered (CR) | |
| 2 | Possibly extinct | Is there a strong possibility that this species might be extinct in the wild? | Yes / probably | Although once relatively common, it is now in decline: it was not recorded once during a total of 28 days and nights of searching during 1995, 1996, 2003, and 2005 in suitable habitat. The last time an animal was recorded alive was 1989 (McCranie 2018). There is a possibility that this species is already extinct (McCranie et al. 2018); however, additional surveys are needed in areas of the core zone of Parque Nacional Pico Bonito and Parque Nacional Capiro y Calentura to confirm whether the species is still extant (J. Townsend and L. Herrera pers. comm. March 2019). If a population of this species exists, then it is reasonable to assume that is very small and decreasing, and would probably contain fewer than 50 mature individuals. |
| 3 | Phylogenetic significance | The taxon’s Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED) score, as generated by the ZSL EDGE program. (These data are not editable by Assessors). | ED value 20 - 50 | |
| 4 | Protected habitat | Is a population of at least 50% of the individuals of the taxon included within a well-managed or reliably protected area or areas? | No / unlikely | This species can be found in Quebrada de Oro in Parque Nacional Pico Bonito and Cerro Calentura in Parque Nacional Capiro y Calentura, in the Departments of Atlántida and Colón, northern Honduras, between 200-1,260 m asl. It may occur in the interior part of Parque Nacional Pico Bonito, and it may be found in Parque Nacional Nombre De Dios which occurs in between known localities (J. Townsend and L. Herrera pers. comm. March 2019). |
| 5 | Habitat for reintroduction, conservation translocation or supplementation | Does enough well-managed and reliably protected habitat exist, either within or outside of currently protected areas that is suitable for conservation translocation, including population restoration or conservation introduction? | Yes / probably | |
| 6 | Previous reintroductions | Have reintroduction or translocation attempts been made in the past for this species? | No | |
| 7 | In situ conservation activities | Are any in situ conservation actions currently in place for this species? (Only required if a Red List Assessment has not been completed, or if new actions have been implemented since the last Red List Assessment. (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.). | ||
| 8 | In situ conservation activities | Are additional in situ conservation actions required to help conserve this species in the wild (e.g. habitat restoration and/or protection, control of invasive species, national legislation etc.)? | ||
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | ||
| 10 | Threat mitigation | Are the threats facing the taxon, including any new and emerging threats not considered in the IUCN Red List, potentially reversible? | Threats unlikely to be reversed in time to prevent further decline / extinction | In Parque Nacional Pico Bontio, the area from which this species was recorded is subject to extensive landslides which often severely impact the species habitat. Additional major threats include deforestation as a result of agricultural and large-scale livestock encroachment, human settlements, selective logging of hardwoods, and human-induced fires (Honduras Red List Assessment Workshop March 2019). In Campiro y Calentura, deforestation is a major threat in the northern part caused by increasing urbanisation (M. Solis pers. comm. March 2019). The reform to the Ley de Protection de la Actividad Caficultora y Cacaotera (Decreto 37-2016; Articulos I, V, VI) has incentivised the cultivation of coffee in national lands, including the core zones of protected areas, which is increasing the alteration of primary forest (Honduras Red List Assessment Workshop March 2019). The cause of the past population decline is unclear. Some other species of Craugastor that are associated with streams have undergone dramatic declines and disappearances, possibly due to chytridiomycosis, and so this might be a major threat to this species (J. Kolby, L. Herrera, M. Solis and J. Townsend pers. comm. March 2019). Species of the Craugastor subgenus Campbellius appear to have undergone dramatic declines between mid 1980s to early 1990s across Honduras, including within undisturbed habitat which is a strong indicator of chytrid-related declines (Honduras Red List Assessment Workshop March 2019). Climate change is also considered to be a threat. Highland amphibians are adapted to inhabit a narrow climatic envelope. Changes in climate are expected to reduce the available suitable habitat and required microclimates. Rapid shifts in the climate conditions required by these species would not allow sufficient opportunity for adaptation, especially in light of the limited possibility for elevational migration. Tropical Montane Cloud Forest (>1,000 m asl) has been demonstrated to be negatively affected by climatic changes to a greater extent than other habitats (Foden et al. 2013, Wicaksono et al. 2017, Lyra et al. 2017, Neate-Clegg et al. 2018). An increase in high rainfall events are being observed throughout its range, as well as an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events (hurricanes and droughts) in the Caribbean, destroying the riparian habitat required by stream-dwelling and stream-associated amphibian species (Honduras Amphibian Red List Workshop March 2019). Climate change is therefore considered to be both a current and future threat to all amphibian species in this habitat type. Furthermore, amphibians globally are at an increased risk of disease (e.g. chytridiomycosis) and a decline in fecundity due to such changes (Pounds et al. 2006, Blaustein et al. 2010). |
| 11 | Over-collection from the wild | Is the taxon suffering from collection within its natural range, either for food, for the pet trade or for any other reason, which threatens the species’ continued persistence in the wild? | No / unlikely | |
| 12 | Population recovery | Is the known population of this species in the wild large enough to recover naturally, without ex situ intervention if threats are mitigated? | No / unlikely | Although once relatively common, it is now in decline. It was not recorded once during a total of 28 days and nights of searching during 1995, 1996, 2003, and 2005 in suitable habitat. In Parque Nacional Capiro y Calentura, a five day survey was conducted in 2012, which did not record the species (M. Solis pers. comm. March 2019). |
| 13 | Action plans | Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed? | ||
| 14 | Biological distinctiveness | Does the taxon exhibit a distinctive reproductive mode, behaviour, aspect of morphology or physiology, within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.)? | No aspect of biology known to be exceptional | |
| 15 | Cultural/socio-economic importance | Does the taxon have a special human cultural value (e.g. as a national or regional symbol, in a historic context, featuring in traditional stories) or economic value (e.g. food, traditional medicine, tourism) within its natural range or in a wider global context? | No | |
| 16 | Scientific importance | Is the species vital to current or planned research other than species-specific ecology/biology/conservation within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.) e.g. human medicine, climate change, environmental pollutants and conservation science? | No research dependent on this species | |
| 17 | Ex situ research | Does conserving this species (or closely related species) in situ depend upon research that can be most easily carried out ex situ? | No | |
| 18 | Ex situ conservation activities | Is any ex situ research or other ex situ conservation action currently in place for this species? (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.) | ||
| 19 | Husbandry analog required | If an ex situ rescue program is recommended for this species, would an analog species be required to develop husbandry protocols first? | ||
| 20 | Husbandry analog | Do the biological and ecological attributes of this species make it suitable for developing husbandry regimes for more threatened related species? i.e. could this species be used in captivity to help to develop husbandry and breeding protocols which could be used for a similar, but more endangered species at a later stage? | No | |
| 21 | Captive breeding | Has this species been successfully bred and/or maintained in captivity? | Not held in captivity to date | |
| 22 | Conservation education/ecotourism potential | Is the species especially diurnal, active or colourful, or is there an interesting or unusual aspect of its ecology that make it particularly suitable to be an educational ambassador for conservation of the species in the range country, either in zoos or aquariums or within ecotourism activities? | No | |
| 23 | Mandate | Is there an existing conservation mandate recommending the ex situ conservation of this taxon? | No | |
| 24 | Range State approval | If an ex situ initiative was proposed for this species, would it be supported (and approved) by the range State (either within the range State or out-of-country ex situ)? | Yes / probably | |
| 25 | Founder specimens | Are sufficient animals of the taxon available or potentially available (from wild or captive sources) to initiate an ex situ program, if one was recommended? | No / unlikely | |
| 26 | Taxonomic status | Has a complete taxonomic analysis of the species in the wild been carried out, to fully understand the functional unit you wish to conserve (i.e. have species limits been determined)? | Yes | This species was previously included in the genus Eleutherodactylus (Crawford and Smith 2005). |
Citation:
Gustavo Cruz, Larry David Wilson.Kolby, J., Marcec, R., Mora, J., Solis, M., Townsend, J. 2019. Conservation Needs Assessment for Craugastor fecundus, Honduras
(AArk/ASG Assessment Workshop).
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/4678
Accessed 31 Jan 2025
